Reporter’s diary

Press, 1 December 1987, Page 2

Reporter’s diary

Opined in error UNCLE had a bad heart turn, so his family planned some glide-time visiting in Christchurch hospital — sister and her husband first, rest of the family later. When the sick man’s nephews and nieces arrived in a consolatory heap at his bedside he asked when his sister would be visiting. But she already had called, they claimed. No, nd, he said. She’s not been yet. The family were concerned and rang their parents. Hadn’t they called to see uncle? Oh, yes, dear — he is very ill too. Hang on — there was obviously some mistake. Had they, or had they not, seen the patient? Gradually the horrible truth dawned. The couple — mother elderly, father poor of eyesight — had sat forlornly at the bedside of a total stranger, who is probably still wondering who the compassionate couple were.

Bugs ball A reader, commending the Dettol-olive oil sandfly repellent that was mentioned in this column on Saturday, referred to the well-known pastime that her family calls the Haast Hop. The name comes from the Haast habit of constantly dancing from one leg to the other while brushing the sandflies off ankles with the opposite foot. Sandfly Samba, or Pest Polonaise are other possible names for the innovative dance. User-pays CHRISTMAS parties aren’t what they used t be. Plaintive cries from “The Press” mole in Wellington break the news that the traditional Press Gallery pre-Christmas bashes have become a $lO ticket-only affair; and that a stock-broking firm has cancelled its flash dine-and-dance in the wake of the sharemarket slump. Staff were instead sent a

memo to front up at the boss’s place for a barbecue. Thank you RESPONSE to a plea by the Alienvale School, for elderly pushchairs, has been terrific, say grateful staff. The handicapped pupils now have the choice of at least 12, including one double pushchair, to take on outings. This will give staff a chance to shrink their arms back to something like a normal length. Far cry from ... JULIE, “the world’s most intelligent talking doll,” may be a marvel of userfriendly high-tech gadgetry, but the programmed precociousness could drive parents to rue the day she batted her cutesy 32-bit microprocessor at them. Retailing for around $5OO, the doll can talk, “read” and annoy her owner — more or less like any child.

When it gets dark, Julie will tell her owner that it’s time for bed. If the child goes out of a room leaving the doll alone, Julie will yawn, cry out foil the child, whimper a “see you later” and switch her own batteries off.

... Raggedy-Anne THE computer doll with a 64k resident memory can sense heat and cold. A spokesman for the Lincoln Toy Company in Auckland said her response to a siidden change in temperature is “Brrr — it’s cold in here.” Julie does have a similar response to heat — but so far this summer New Zealand has not had a hot enough day for the doll to make any comment He added that Julie can be shut off, which is good news for people who would resent a running commentary on their environment from a strawberry blonde computer.

—Jenny Feltham